April 29, 2016
WASHINGTON -- Penn State men's lacrosse junior Nick Aponte (West Islip, N.Y.) has been selected as a nominee for the 2016 Tewaaraton Award, as announced by the organization this evening. Aponte is one of 25 members on the men's list, which features student-athletes from 16 different programs from around the country.
The Tewaaraton Award is recognized as the pre-eminent lacrosse award, annually honoring the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. Aponte is the first Nittany Lion to be named a Tewaaraton Award nominee since goalie Austin Kaut, who was named to the list in 2012 and 2013.
Aponte has steadily emerged as one of the top offensive options for the Nittany Lions at attack since he arrived on campus. Starting all 13 games this season, he currently ranks second on the team with 40 points, having scored 22 goals to go along with 18 assists. Aponte also enters the weekend having matched a career-high mark in back-to-back outings with four goals in each of the last two games against a pair of nationally ranked opponents.
With at least one point in each of the last 31 consecutive games, his point-scoring streak ranks 16th nationally. His stretch dates back to April 5, 2014 and features 38 goals and 33 assists for 71 total points. On the year, he's registered seven multi-goal outings, scoring two or more goals in each of the last three straight games for the Nittany Lions.
Five men's and five women's finalists will be selected from these groups of 25, announced on Thursday, May 12, and invited to the ceremony. The 16th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony will be held Thursday, June 2 in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian.
Aponte and the rest of the No. 18 Penn State men's lacrosse team (7-6, 1-3) are set to wrap up the 2016 regular season with a crucial Big Ten matchup against Michigan Saturday, April 30 on Senior Day at the Penn State Lacrosse Field. Opening faceoff is set for noon, live on the Big Ten Network with Mike Wolf and Greg Bice on the call.
To view the complete list of men's Tewaaraton Award nominees, please click here.